Allegation of Hajj Quota Arrangement: Prosecutors Reveal 'Single Channel' Through Fuad Hasan Masyhur

Prosecutors from Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have accused Fuad Hasan Masyhur, CEO of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour) and a board member of the Forum Silaturahmi Asosiasi Travel Haji dan Umrah (SATHU), of orchestrating the allocation of additional Hajj pilgrimage quotas through a "single channel."

The prosecution alleges that Fuad began lobbying for an extra 10,000 Hajj quotas in 2022. Initially, an unused quota from 2023-2024 was not utilized by Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Quomas due to the proximity of the Hajj season. Fuad then reportedly proposed to SATHU that these unused quotas be converted into special Hajj quotas, managed by SATHU members.

Further attempts were made in 2023, with Fuad lobbying former Director General of Hajj and Umrah Guidance, Hilman Latief, who then escalated the request to Minister Yaqut. Fuad sought to maximize the utilization of additional quotas, corresponding with Yaqut and Commission VIII of the House of Representatives. Hilman allegedly proposed a 92% regular and 8% special quota scheme to Yaqut via WhatsApp, despite a previous agreement with the House to use additional quotas for regular Hajj pilgrims.

Minister Yaqut reportedly approved this scheme through a Ministerial Decree, allocating 7,360 quotas for regular Hajj and 640 for special Hajj. In 2024, Fuad and other SATHU officials allegedly met with Yaqut to request more than 8% of the additional quotas for special Hajj. Yaqut then directed SATHU to communicate with his Special Staff, Ishfah Abidal Aziz, regarding the quota management. Aziz and Fuad reportedly met, and Aziz informed Fuad that Indonesia would receive approximately 20,000 additional Hajj quotas, which Fuad expressed a desire to manage through the "single channel" mechanism.